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When will Bucky Irving return and play? Will Bucky Irving be back again this season? Read the latest Bucky Irving injury updates and return date for Week 11 (2025).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (shoulder, foot) has now been out for most of the season with injuries to his shoulder and foot.
He was able to play in four contests and scored an average of 18.0 PPR fantasy points per game. So he's dearly missed by all fantasy managers who drafted him.
His absence has been a crippling blow to many teams, who used a second, third, or fourth-round pick to select him. So when will he return and be back? And what's his fantasy outlook when he plays again? Let's dive in.
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Bucky Irving Injury Update
Things are simply not looking good. For a while, Irving's injury status of not being placed on injured reserve was seen as a good thing. It was widely thought that he would miss four games at most, since IR designations force a player to miss that many contests. However, we haven't seen Irving since Week 4.
That means he's missed five games so far. It would be nice if Tampa Bay had just placed him on IR, but that's still not happening. He's dealing with both shoulder and foot injuries -- and it's been reported that the shoulder injury is more severe.
Turns out that Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving’s shoulder injury, which he did not report to the team until Tuesday last week, is more of an issue than his sprained foot, per sources. Irving is dealing with a shoulder subluxation that is expected to sideline him at least two weeks.… pic.twitter.com/HMxBrLTQ4E
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 5, 2025
The above update summarizes the situation pretty well. He apparently didn't report the issue until later on, and recently, head coach Todd Bowles said that he's not currently able to take hits to the shoulder. The latest update featured Bowles also saying that he didn't expect Irving healthy in Week 11.
That will make it six games and seven weeks that Irving has missed, further casting into doubt his ability to play in Week 12, though projections don't yet reflect that. There has seemingly been only negative and no positive news about the situation.
Fantasy managers are likely in it for the long haul here. It's unclear when he'll return, though at this point, it still seems unlikely that he's out for the season.
Bucky Irving Fantasy Football Outlook
Irving's workhorse usage could have let to his multiple injuries. He's smaller in stature, weighing under 200 pounds, and while it's hard to say his size is a direct factor in him getting hurt, it's possible it could play a part. It's unclear how much work they'll be willing to give him in his return.
He dealt with multiple injury issues last season, though he only missed one contest. It's been a rough start to his carer aliment-wise. Maybe the coaching staff will try to get RBs Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, Irving's backups, a bit more involved even after No. 7 takes the field again.
Bucky Irving has magical feet 🪄pic.twitter.com/D3C2R32IOn https://t.co/KBIeEBdRsL
— Touchdown Central (@TouchdownHQ) November 8, 2025
Irving's elusiveness is his best trait. He doesn't possess elite speed, but he's able to turn on a dime and quickly shift his weight to make extremely sharp cuts. This helps him juke defenders out of their cleats on a regular basis, and makes him an excellent weapon in the passing game.
That last point is key, because his rushing averages are way down from last season. In 2024, he averaged over 5.4 yards per carry, and that's plummeted to just over 3.3 YPC this year. His receiving work is where he gets most of his fantasy value, especially in PPR leagues.
Bucky Irving in 2024:
-2.4 Yards Before Conact per Attempt (RB11/70)
-5.42 YPC (RB6)Week 1 of 2025:
-0.5 YBCon/Att (RB24/32, min. 10 carries)
-2.64 YPC (RB24)Bucky Irving drafters might really miss Liam Coen this season.https://t.co/Pq2i261Yiq
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 9, 2025
On a high-powered offense, he can thrive like this, but in terms of pure ceiling, it keeps him out of top-5 upside conversation. Still, when he comes back, he's a must-start in all leagues. I'm just a bit concerned about his rushing ceiling, potential future injuries, and the possibility that the coaching staff might curtail his usage, if only slightly, out of concern for his health.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 11 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Kimani Vidal, Troy Franklin, Colston Loveland, Quentin Johnston, Jordan Addison. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 11. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
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Popular Week 11 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 11 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 11 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 11 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kimani Vidal, Troy Franklin, Colston Loveland, Quentin Johnston, Jordan Addison compared to others:
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